It was the first time striker Jamie Vardy had failed to score in a Premier League game since August 22, as he missed out on equalling the record of Irishman Jimmy Dunne, who scored in 12 consecutive top-flight English games for Sheffield United between October 1931 and January 1932.

But Ranieri said: “He (Vardy) is not disappointed, he is okay.

“He is happy because he knows over anything else this is a team, it comes above them.

“I would have liked him to have a chance, we thought there were a few handballs near the end for him to have a penalty. But it is okay.”

Mahrez’s hat-trick moved him into double figures for the season but Ranieri said he was more delighted with his strikers’ link-up play than the efforts of any particular individual.

“I don’t like to say it is all about one player, they played like a team. They help each other and talk to each other, the dressing room leads our play.

“Everyone talks about Vardy scoring but now Mahrez has done so. It was so pleasing to see that when Jamie had a chance to score, he passed to Mahrez so he could have his hat-trick.

“It was like giving him a penalty kick, it is a good link between them. I am so pleased with the performance because I was worried about Swansea.

“They had only one win in 10 games and wanted to react, so I asked us to stay together and not spread out as they would kill us.”